The Red Squad
by Proforce
Summary: Giovanni, boss of Team Rocket, gives Jessie and James an ultimatum: get Pikachu or have the Red Squad do it...and take care of them as well. What follows is both surprising and intense. I hope I got the formatting right this time. R&R please


"The Red Squad"  
Author: Robert Brown  
  
Disclaimer: This story uses characters created and copyrighted by Nintendo,  
Game Freak, and/or 4 Kids Inc. (except where noted, in which case   
they were created and copyrighted by us or by another and we have  
permission to use them). The authors hereby give permission for   
this story to be downloaded and/or printed at 1 copy per user as   
long as (1) no changes to the story are made without our express   
written(not e-mailed) permission and (2) no attempt is made to   
profit from this story. If either or both rules are violated, it   
will be considered a violation of copyright law.  
  
Author's Note: Hey ppl! Yeah, yeah, I know. This is solo time for me as a   
fanfic author, and to start with Pokémon no less. But this is a big step for  
me. I have a great deal of stories up here in my head, and it's about time   
I got them down on paper for everyone to see. Well, not paper but...oh, you  
know what I mean! All these stories will begin just after Ash and company   
faced Team Rocket members Butch and Cassidy in "The Breeding Center Secret".  
One thing that will become very obvious is that when these stories first  
appeared in my head, they took a vastly different turn than the animé did.  
Some things do remain the same however, and to be perfectly honest, I don't  
remember if these details were in there originally or after I saw certain  
of the later episiodes. Ah well, I think they'll come out all right anyway.  
You'll notice that I don't have a Cast of Characters in these stories. I  
think they'd get too big and unwieldy if I had to mention every pokémon used.  
Anyway, I hope these stories are as well received as the stories my friend   
Francis and I have been writing. And never fear! We will be writing again,   
soon! Till then, Happy Reading everyone!  
  
#1  
  
Giovanni, leader of the infamous Team Rocket, looked at the two...no  
three sniveling cowards in front of him. "This is impossible," he thundered,  
his fist slamming down on the desk in front of him. "How can three brats  
defeat my best Rockets?"  
  
"Well boss," the pokémon began in his usual wiseguy accent.  
  
"I didn't mean you!" Giovanni yelled, causing them all to cower more.  
"I trained Butch and Cassidy myself; they were my best agents! It's simply  
not possible!"  
  
"Boss, if I may...." the female began slowly, then breathed a sigh of  
relief as Giovanni motioned for her to continue. "The twerps have a lot of   
very powerful pokémon, but none as powerful as that pikachu. We've felt its   
power more times than I can remember."  
  
"Yeah, Boss," the male chimed in. "That pikachu was the one that   
destroyed the Pokémon Center back at Viridian almost a year ago. If it could  
do that to a stone building, you can imagine what it could do to us."  
  
Giovanni sat back in his chair, tapping his fingers together. "If you   
had told me all about this yesterday, I'd have never believed you. But with  
Butch and Cassidy's defeat...." He fell silent, obviously considering   
something of grave importance.   
  
The three Rockets stood quietly, waiting for their boss to speak.   
Minutes ticked by and they began to think he had fallen asleep. "We  
should get outta here," the pokémon whispered to his friends.   
  
The two humans looked at each other, nodding quickly when their eyes   
met. They all tiptoed towards the door, trying not to wake their boss when   
he spoke up, making them all nearly jump out of their skins. "You have three  
days to bring me this Pikachu. If it as powerful as you say, all your prior  
failures will be forgiven, and you will be promoted to the spots recently  
vacated by Butch and Cassidy. If it's not, you will be given a five minute  
head start."  
  
The trio paled visibly, even the pokémon. "Boss, you can't mean that,"  
the pokémon said, paw over his heart.  
  
"I never make a threat like this lightly," Giovanni said, turning around  
in his chair. "Dismissed."  
  
The Rockets turned to leave, their heads bowed. But before they could   
get out the door, the female stopped and looked back. "Umm Boss, what   
happens if we can't get the Pikachu?"  
  
Giovanni didn't answer, at least not with his voice. All he did was   
point at a button on his desk, a red button with a black "R" engraved on it.  
  
The female fell back, clutching her chest. "Jesse!" the male cried  
out, catching her before she fell. "Are you all right? Answer me, please!"  
  
"He wouldn't," Jesse whispered, fear blazing in her blue eyes, "he  
couldn't!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Jesse turned her face slowly to look at her partner. "The...the Red  
Squad."  
  
James' eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets. "No way! They're just   
kids!"  
  
"Meowth! I thought I'd never say this, but that's one thing even I   
wouldn't do to them!" Meowth spat. "We gotta get Pikachu, or there won't   
be anymore Pikachu, or twerps!"  
  
"But what can we do about it?" James asked as they walked away from   
the office.  
  
"There's only one thing we can do," Jessie admitted. "But none of us  
are going to like it."  
  
The next day, Ash, Misty, and Brock were traveling down the road,   
trying to find a ferry that would take them to Cinnabar Island. "I can't   
wait to get my seventh badge!" Ash exclaimed.  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu said from its seat atop Ash's hat.  
  
Misty sighed, looking down at Togepi who was sleeping contentedly in  
her arms. "First we have to get there," she reminded Ash. Then, with a   
smirk, she added, "And with your sense of direction, we'll end up getting  
there after Gary's already won the Indigo League Championship."  
  
Ash whirled on Misty, knocking Pikachu from its perch. "You take that  
back!" he demanded. "Gary will never beat me!"  
  
"He doesn't have to," Misty said snidely. "You'll beat yourself by   
not even making it there."  
  
"I don't see you getting us there any faster, Misty," Ash said coldly.  
  
"Of course you don't. I'm not the one with the map!"  
  
As they continued to argue, Brock simply shook his head and looked at  
his own map. "Hmm," he thought. "If we keep following this road, it looks  
like we'll get to a port city soon. Looks like Ash was right after all."   
  
Looking up, he saw Ash and Misty were still fighting and sighed. "If  
you two could stop your lover's spat for a moment," he said out loud, "I'd   
tell you we're heading the right way and could maybe even get there by   
sunset." Without even looking, Brock dropped into a squat, easily avoiding  
Misty's foot, which was aimed right for his head.  
  
Ash chuckled under his breath, with Pikachu joining in once it cleared  
its head from the earlier fall. "You're getting way too predictable Misty,"  
he said, wiping his eyes. "Come on Pikachu, let's go!"  
  
Misty glared at Ash as Pikachu climbed back up on his hat, but it was   
wasted because Ash had his back turned to her. "I'll get you back for this  
Ash Ketchum," she swore under her breath. "If it's the last thing I do,   
I'll get you back!"  
  
Team Rocket sat in the trees above Ash and his friends, listening and  
watching quietly. "I never realized they argued so much," Jessie whispered.  
"Maybe next time, if there is a next time, we could take advantage of that."  
  
"Not a bad idea," James seconded. "But for now, let's do what we have  
to do."  
  
Foregoing their usual motto, Jesse, James, and Meowth jumped out of the  
trees, landing directly in front of Ash. Ash cried out in surprise and fell  
down, Pikachu landing right beside him. "Team Rocket?" he yelled, surprised.  
"You can't have my Pikachu! Pikachu, Thun--"  
  
"Can it, Twerp!" Meowth interrupted. "We're not here to steal your  
Pikachu. Not this time at least. All we wanna do is talk."  
  
"Huh?" Ash asked, confused.  
  
"Pika?" Pikachu said, sounding as confused as Ash.  
  
"Don't trust them, Ash," Misty said, hauling him back to his feet.   
"You know they'll try anything to get our pokémon."  
  
"Listen Scrawny," Jesse said angrily, "if you don't talk to us,   
others are going to come after you far worse than we would ever be."  
  
"Who are you calling scrawny? You old hag!" Misty yelled, her  
head swollen to twice its normal size.  
  
James and Meowth backed away from Jessie, vividly remembering the  
flames that shot from her mouth the last time Misty called her an old hag.  
But Jessie just stood there calmly. Even her voice was calm when she said,  
"Have you ever heard of the Red Squad?"  
  
"The who?" Ash asked, obviously very confused. He looked at his two  
human friends and saw that they had both visibly paled. "Do you guys know  
who they're talking about?"  
  
"The Red Squad," Brock whispered. "I thought they were just legends,  
stuff used by Team Rocket to scare people."  
  
"I wish," James said, a small shudder running through his body.   
"They're very, very real. I've seen them in action, and I never want to   
again."  
  
"The Red Squad is an elite group of Rockets," Misty explained,   
recovering some of the color in her face. "They're known as the Red Squad  
because of their blood red uniforms with a black 'R' on their shirts. They're  
used only in extreme cases because they're a threat to Team Rocket that their   
boss wants dealt with once and for all."  
  
"A threat to Team Rocket, huh?" Ash said quietly, then a smile   
broke out on his face. "Yeah! I knew I'd always make it big! But I don't  
care who they are, they're not getting Pikachu!"  
  
Misty grabbed Ash by the front of his jacket and shook him angrily.  
"Don't you get it Ash!" she screamed hysterically. "They're not coming  
after you to steal Pikachu! They're coming to kill Pikachu...and you!"  
  
"Priii!" Togepi cried, falling from Misty's arms as she shook Ash.  
  
"Pipipi!" Pikachu called, catching Togepi just before it hit the   
ground. "Pika," it sighed in relief.  
  
"What?" Ash asked, not understanding, then when it sank in, his  
eyes grew full of fear. "No! They can't!"  
  
"They can, and will," Jessie said, not meeting Ash's gaze. "If  
we don't bring our boss Pikachu in the next two days, he's going to   
send the Red Squad after you."  
  
"But we've come up with a plan that'll keep both you and Pikachu  
alive, and make the boss happy," Meowth added. "We'll give him   
Pikachu, then after he runs a few tests and sees that Pikachu is as   
strong as we've said she is, we'll let you into headquarters so you can  
get her back."  
  
"Her?" Ash looked down at Pikachu who was holding Togepi as a   
mother would hold a child. Pikachu looked at Ash a moment then looked  
away, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.  
  
"Meowth! You mean you never knew you had a female Pikachu?"  
  
"How do we know this isn't a trick just to get Pikachu?" Brock   
demanded, suddenly suspicious.  
  
James tossed Brock a small bag containing four pokéballs. "Weezing,  
Victreebel, Arbok, and Lickitung," he explained. "We'll let you hold onto  
our pokémon until you get Pikachu back."  
  
Brock opened each of the pokéballs and, after verifying that the  
pokémon were truly in there, nodded. "It seems like you're telling the  
truth about this, but this seems awfully like a trade of some kind."  
  
"I thought you might think like that," Jessie said. "That's why I'm  
staying too."  
  
"Jessie, no," James said. "That wasn't part of the plan."  
  
"Look James, we're not killers. If the boss sends out the Red  
Squad, the blood may as well be on our hands. If this is the only way  
to convince them that we're telling the truth, than so be it."  
  
"I guess, but I don't like it. What are we going to tell the boss  
about why you're not there?"  
  
"Tell him I'm getting our stuff ready in case we only have that   
five minute head start," Jessie said with a bit of a chuckle, but it   
didn't come out right. "Don't worry James, we'll be all right."  
  
James nodded, but it was obvious he wasn't as sure as Jessie was.   
"Well, do we have a deal?" James asked, turning to the others.  
  
"I don't know--" Ash started to say, but was cut off as Pikachu set  
Togepi down and ran straight toward James. "Pikachu, wait!"  
  
"Pikapi," Pikachu said sadly, a tear in her eye. She wiped it away   
angrily and turned to Meowth. "Pika chupika pipikachu Pikapi chaa."  
  
"Pikachu says she'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe," Meowth  
translated.  
  
"I know what she said Meowth," Ash muttered. "It's her choice I   
guess. But so help me, if any of you try to double-cross us...."  
  
"We won't," James said, looking meaningfully at Jessie. "Come on,  
we'd better go now before we're late. I guess Jessie will lead you to  
the headquarters tomorrow afternoon sometime."  
  
"We'll be there," Ash said. "Don't worry Pikachu, you'll be back  
with us tomorrow."  
  
"Pika!" Pikachu said, flashing the victory sign. But before she left  
with James and Meowth, Ash could see the fear in her eyes, and he had to   
turn away.  
  
Jessie took a long piece of rope and held it out to Brock. "Go ahead,   
you know it'll make you feel better," she said, turning around and crossing   
her wrists behind her back.   
  
Brock looked at the rope in his hands and then to the others. Misty  
nodded hesitantly, but Ash just turned away. Brock sighed quietly then   
tied Jessie's wrists together securely, but not too tightly. "Does that  
hurt?" he asked.  
  
"Does it really matter?" Jessie sneered reflexively then shook her  
head, her anger seeming to drain right out of her. "Look, we'd better just  
stay here until tomorrow," she said, sitting down against a tree. "There's  
less chance of us running into someone who wouldn't understand what's going  
on."  
  
"We're not going to turn you in to Officer Jenny if that's what you're  
worried about," Ash said angrily.  
  
"I'm not. But this close to headquarters, we might run into other  
Rockets. They won't take very kindly to you having me tied up like this."  
  
All three of them sweatdropped and agreed that it was probably a good  
idea. They set up camp even though it was still the middle of the day, and  
then went about their own separate ways. Ash called out Charizard and tried  
yet again to get his pokémon to obey him. All that happened was Ash nearly  
getting turned into ash as Charizard let loose his Flamethrower attack no  
matter what Ash said. "Come on Charizard," Ash whined. "I'm going to need  
your help to get back Pikachu from Rocket headquarters. Won't you listen to   
me this once?"  
  
Charizard studied Ash for a moment, then snorted a tongue of flame in   
the air and laid down on his side, going to sleep. "Charizard...." Ash  
nearly growled, twisting his hat around so that it faced backwards. "Well,  
we're not going anywhere until you listen to me."  
  
Meanwhile, Misty was trying to catch some more water pokémon, and train  
Psyduck as well. "Psyduck! Use your Confusion attack on that Tentacool,"   
Misty ordered.  
  
"Psy?" Psyduck asked, looking like he was the one who was confused.  
  
"Cool ten tentacool." The tentacool seemed to be laughing at her, and   
that just made Misty furious.  
  
"If you can't use Confusion, at least Disable it so I can capture it,"  
Misty pleaded.  
  
"Duck?" Psyduck asked, looking just as confused as before. The   
tentacool, obviously bored with the whole thing, swam away lazily.  
  
"Grr...." Misty clenched her fist hard, causing the vein to pop out  
crazily. "You're useless Psyduck!"  
  
"Psyduck!" Psyduck exclaimed. "Psy-ai-ai! Psyduckpsy!"  
  
Misty sighed and sat down. "If only there was a way to unlock his  
powers whenever I needed them," Misty thought, watching as Psyduck waddled  
over toward her. "I know he needs a massive headache to use them, but I  
can't just walk over to him in the middle of every battle and punch him in  
the head a few times. Not only would I end up breaking my hand, I just  
couldn't bring myself to do that to any pokémon, no matter how much he  
annoys me."  
  
Misty closed her eyes and laid back, folding her hands behind her   
head. "There has to be some way," she muttered angrily.  
  
As she lay there, a strange voice seemed to speak inside her head.   
"Try the Skull Bash," the voice whispered softly.  
  
Misty immediately sat up and looked around her. "Who's there?" she  
called. But the only one there was Psyduck laying down next to her, almost  
close enough to touch her. "I must be losing it," she muttered under her  
breath. "Skull Bash, huh? Hmm, that actually might be a good idea."  
  
Back at camp, Brock had just set his pot containing dinner over some   
embers to simmer when he found himself with nothing else to do. He considered  
bringing out Vulpix and brushing her fur, but he usually left that for the   
last thing before going to bed. All his pokémon were in good shape having   
been looked at by Nurse Joy at the last Pokémon Center. He looked around,   
seeing if anything needed to be done.  
  
His eyes fell on Jessie. He was rather surprised that she hadn't tried  
to escape yet, much less even move. It suddenly occurred to him that Jessie  
and James probably hadn't had their pokémon looked after in a long time. He   
took their pokéballs out of his backpack and started calling out their   
pokémon one at a time.  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?" Jessie snapped. "Leave my pokémon alone!"  
  
"I'm not doing anything bad," Brock said calmly, releasing Arbok. "I  
just wanted to look them over. I mean, when was the last time you had them  
checked out?"  
  
"You've got a point there," Jessie said, settling down. "With   
everything we've done, we can't just waltz into a Pokémon Center like you  
can."  
  
"Charbok!" Arbok cried, seeing Jessie tied up. He went into an   
offensive stance, getting ready to attack Brock.  
  
"Arbok, stand down," Jessie ordered. "We're not battling anyone  
today. Just let him check you over. But if he tries anything funny--"  
  
"I won't," Brock interrupted, walking over to Arbok slowly.   
  
Jessie watched Brock like a hawk as he took care of her pokémon, not  
trusting him in the least. But that was not surprising considering the   
only person in this world she trusted was James. They'd been together  
so long and through so much, it would have been hard not to trust him.  
But it was more than that. They were friends, true friends, as close as  
the twerps if not a bit closer. Jessie often wondered just how close they   
exactly were, but in the same thought she was scared to find out.  
  
She shifted her eyes off Brock for just a moment, staring up at the  
sky. "Oh James," she murmured, "don't mess this up. If we can't pull this  
off...."  
  
At the same moment she was thinking that, James, Meowth, and Pikachu  
were outside the door to Rocket Headquarters. "PIKACHU!" Pikachu yelled,  
shocking Meowth to a crisp.  
  
"Look you electric rat," James said, picking Pikachu up to stare into   
her eyes. "Do you really think the boss will believe you just decided to   
come with us? If you're not tied up, he'll know something's up and your  
trainer's as good as dead.  
  
Pikachu tried to stare down James, but she eventually had to look away.  
"Pikapi," she whispered. Sighing, she nodded her agreement and James set her  
down. "Tie her up good Meowth, but not too tight. That cord will absorb any  
electricity she tries to use, so she can still put on a good show for the   
boss."  
  
"All right," Meowth said. "But if she shocks me one more time, I draw  
blood," he growled, baring his claws before tying the cord around Pikachu   
until she was looped in it from chin to feet. "There, now let's get this   
over with."  
  
They walked into headquarters, James carrying Pikachu, and headed  
straight for the boss' office. "So you've returned," Giovanni said, not  
even turning around as he heard the door open. "What's your excuse this  
time?"  
  
"CHU!" Pikachu yelled, trying to shock the boss, but the cord stopped  
her.  
  
Giovanni whirled around in his chair, surprise clearly evident on his  
face. "I don't believe it," he said, actually standing up and approaching   
James. "You did it! Will wonders never cease. Now, give me that pikachu  
and we'll see just how strong it is."  
  
James handed over Pikachu timidly, very intimidated by how close   
Giovanni was to him. "Here you go, Boss," he said, wiping his brow with   
the back of his gloved hand. "We'll just be going now."  
"Wait a minute," Giovanni said, stopping James and Meowth from   
leaving. "Where's your partner?"  
  
"Umm...err...." James stammered, any coherent thought flying from  
his brain.  
  
"Meowth, she's getting packed, just in case we need that five minute  
head start after all," Meowth said offhandedly.   
  
Giovanni smiled, actually smiled, and that scared Meowth more than   
anything else he could have done. "Well well, it seems the threat of the Red  
Squad finally got your brains working. Perhaps I should use them to motivate  
you more often. Now go, get out of my sight."  
  
James and Meowth were only too happy to comply, not stopping until they   
had reached their room. "So what do we do now?" Meowth asked, flopping down  
on the bed.  
  
"We wait," James said quietly, looking out the room's only window.   
"That's all we can do for now. Unless...."  
  
"Unless what?"  
  
"Never mind," James said, resting his elbow on the windowsill. "I know  
it's early, but we might as well get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a very  
long day."  
  
"That's an understatement if ever I heard one," Meowth muttered, curling  
up into a ball. Within moments, he was fast asleep, dreaming about being the  
boss' top cat again.  
  
James on the other hand made no attempt to get to sleep. His mind was  
working way too fast on possible ways to make things easier for the twerps and  
Jessie to get in and get Pikachu back. If this were any situation other than  
helping Jessie, James was sure his brain would overheat. But he'd do anything  
for his best friend, one of only three real friends he had. The second was   
curled up on the bed near him, the third was probably locked up in his dog  
house again.  
  
James sighed, shaking his head. "There has to be something," he thought  
angrily. "Wait a minute.... There is one thing." He looked over at Meowth.  
"No, I have to do this one alone." With a quiet and grace normally not seen   
in his movements, James made his way out of the room and started to put his  
plan into action.  
  
Giovanni was taking his time walking to the lab housed in the basement  
of his headquarters. He was greatly amused by Pikachu's continued attempts to  
shock him. "You do have spirit, I'll give you that," he said. "It will be   
quite a challenge to break that spirit, as I have done to many others."  
  
Pikachu was terrified, probably more than she ever had been in her   
whole life. She struggled and shocked the ropes with everything she had.   
There had to be a way out of this, some way to get back to Ash and get as far  
away from this place as she ever could.   
  
Ash. That thought stopped her cold. If she did manage to get away,   
this horrid man would send that Red Squad after him. Pikachu could not let  
that happen to Ash under any circumstances. Ash was more than her master,  
he was her best friend. There was another thought nagging at the back of her  
mind, but she banished it, just as she had done so many times before. She  
needed to concentrate on surviving until Ash came for her, and fantasies   
like that would only distract her.  
  
In the lab, a Team Rocket scientist was finishing up an experiment.   
Never mind that the continued exposure to water had nearly killed this  
charmander, it was all in the name of research. With that excuse, "in  
the name of research," this scientist had been able to justify the   
torture and even death of hundreds of pokémon. And the ones who survived  
his treatments? Well, there was only one, and even encased in his power-  
dampening cyber-armor, that pokémon still scared him to no end.  
  
Sighing, he placed down his clipboard and looked around for some  
other experiment to work on. Just then, Giovanni came in holding a rather  
tightly bound pikachu. "I have a new experiment for you," he said,   
tossing Pikachu to the scientist.  
  
"A pikachu?" the scientist almost sneered. Almost only because a  
show of disrespect like that would probably get him experimented on next.  
  
"Two of my operatives claim that this pikachu has power equalling  
that of a raichu," Giovanni said off-handedly. "I want you to see just how   
strong it is."  
  
"Easily done," the scientist said, dropping Pikachu in a glass cage  
and unwrapping her. "I'll see if I can provoke a Thundershock attack from   
it," he said as he closed the top. "The electrodes attached to the sides of   
the cage will measure how strong it truly is. I can use that as a baseline  
to determine what any following tests will be. Will you be staying to watch  
this time?"  
  
"I will, because if this pikachu isn't as strong as they say, I have  
a certain button to push."  
  
The scientist smiled, then turned to the machine near the cage.   
Pikachu had no intention of letting them get any information about her and  
would fight with everything she had. But then a gas entered the cage from  
an unseen source. Pikachu tried to hold her breath, but the gas wasn't  
harmful in the least, it was just making her cheek sacs uncomfortable.  
She rubbed them with her paws, but that only irritated them more. "Chu!"  
she exclaimed, a Thundershock coming unbidden from her. She felt better  
as soon as it ended, and no more gas entered her cage.  
  
"This is amazing," the scientist said, tapping the gauges of his  
machine. "If these readings are correct, this pikachu's Thundershock   
has more power than most raichus' Thunderbolts!"  
  
"How long will it take for you to fully determine the extent of its  
powers?" Giovanni asked, seeming just slightly impressed.  
  
"Two days at the most, and if it is as strong as I think it is,   
there's no worry about it dying."  
  
"High praise coming from you," Giovanni said, putting his face near  
the glass of the cage. "It seems I owe those three an apology after all.  
But we'll just wait and see just how strong you are."  
  
A tear trickled from Pikachu's eye. "Pikapi...." she whispered,   
hoping Ash would get here soon.  
  
Outside the room, James had just finished installing something in the  
main fuse box when someone tapped him on the shoulder. He squealed and   
turned around, squinting his eyes against the flashlight being shined in his  
eyes. "What are you doing down here James?" the Rocket demanded.  
  
"Power got cut off in my room," James said. "I got it fixed now."  
  
"You mean you actually didn't electrocute yourself this time?" the  
Rocket joked, lowering her flashlight. "Or maybe you just don't feel it  
anymore if even half the stories I've heard about you and your partner are  
true."  
  
James felt a flush rising in his cheeks and stormed past the Rocket  
angrily. "That was close," he thought. "But at least now they have a   
chance."  
  
Back at the campsite, Ash, Misty, and Brock had just finished dinner  
and were cleaning up. "That was delicious, as usual Brock," Misty said,  
patting her stomach.   
  
"I should hope so, you had four servings Misty," Ash said with a   
chuckle.   
  
Misty smiled mischievously and crossed her arms over her chest. "I   
didn't know you were so interested in what I did Ash," she said, smirking.  
  
Ash could practically feel the heat rising in his cheeks. "Well...  
I.... Hey!" he exclaimed, realizing something and very glad to get off the  
subject. "We never gave Jessie anything to eat." He quickly spooned some  
stew into a bowl and hurried over to where Jessie rested.  
  
Misty stared after Ash, stunned by his reaction. She fully expected  
him to take offense at that statement and an arguement to break out. But  
this.... It was too weird for her so she just stopped thinking about it.  
The one thing she couldn't stop thinking about however was the butterfrees  
that had suddenly appeared in her stomach.  
  
Jessie opened her eyes as Ash approached, stifling a yawn. "So,   
finally remember to feed me?" she asked, blinking the sleep out of her   
eyes.  
  
"Sorry about that," Ash mumbled, setting the bowl down in front of  
her.  
  
"Hmmph. And how do you expect me to eat with my hands tied behind my  
back?"  
  
"That would be a problem, wouldn't it? Well, I guess I'll just have to  
feed you then."  
  
"Huh?" Jessie watched in surprise as Ash plopped down next to her and  
pulled the bowl into his lap. "Why should you care?"  
  
Ash stirred the contents of the bowl as he thought about Jessie's   
question. "You've been straight with us so far, and I'll do anything to   
get Pikachu back. Besides, I'm not the kind of person to let someone go  
hungry, even if it is my enemy. Now open up," he said with a slight smile,  
lifting a full spoon to her lips.  
  
Jessie opened her mouth and let Ash feed her. The stew was good, far  
better than she had become accustomed to eating. "Thanks Twerp," she said  
without thinking.  
  
"The name is Ash."  
  
Jessie looked at him a moment, then smiled lopsidedly. "All right.  
Thank you, Ash."  
  
Misty watched as Ash fed Jessie, and a frown touched her lips. "Well,  
don't they seem chummy," she remarked coldly, putting Togepi down for the   
night.  
  
"He's just worried about Pikachu," Brock said calmly, setting out his  
sleeping bag. "He's trying to make sure her and James have no reason to   
back out on their deal with us."  
  
"Well they don't have to sit so close together you know."  
  
Brock looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "If I didn't know  
better, I'd swear you were jealous."  
  
"Jealous? Me? You might as well lay down now Brock; you're already  
dreaming."  
  
But Brock wasn't the only one to notice how Misty was acting. "I think  
your girlfriend is getting jealous over there," Jessie said, inclining her  
head toward Misty.  
  
"Huh? Oh, Misty's not my girlfriend," Ash protested, setting the bowl  
down, blushing a bit. "She and I argue so much, there's no way she could ever  
feel like that toward me."  
  
Jessie smiled knowingly. "You think not, huh? Then again, it's   
always easy to miss when you're the one concerned."  
  
"I only wish it were like that," Ash said, getting to his feet. "We'd   
better head to sleep now, we've got an early day tomorrow. Will you be able  
to sleep like that?"  
  
"I've slept in worse conditions," Jessie said, laying down on her side  
and pulling her knees up to her chest.  
  
Ash nodded and walked over to his sleeping bag. He took off his hat and  
tossed it on his backpack, then looked back over at Jessie. He pulled a spare   
blanket from his backpack and threw it over Jessie. "Good night," he   
whispered, then went back to his sleeping bag.  
  
"Good night...Ash," Jessie whispered, snuggling into the blanket.  
  
Early the next morning, Ash was up, for a change, and starting to   
break camp with the others. "How long will it take to reach Rocket  
Headquarters?" he asked, folding up the blanket he had given Jessie for the  
night.  
  
"We should reach it in a few hours, if nothing goes wrong," she  
answered, trying to flick her hair back behind her without much luck.  
  
"You almost sound like you're expecting something to happen," Brock   
commented.  
  
"Forgive my cynicism, but with the luck James and I have, you get used  
to things going wrong."  
  
"Well you're with us now, and things have a tendency to go our way,"  
Brock said. "Most of the time anyway."  
  
"I've just gotta get Pikachu back," Ash said, shouldering his backpack.  
  
"We will Ash," Misty said, lightly placing her hand on his arm. "We  
will."  
  
Ash smiled and briefly thought back to what Jessie had told him last   
night, but before he could ask anything, Misty had moved away. "There's no  
way," he whispered to himself.  
  
"Let's get going," Jessie said. "The faster we get this done, the  
faster everything can get back to normal."  
  
Later in the day, Mewoth was pacing around the room he shared with  
Jessie and James. "They should've been here by now," he thought. "If  
they don't get here soon, there might not be anything to save."  
  
Just then, he heard a tapping at the window. He listened very   
carefully to the pattern. "Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light,"  
he murmured, in perfect time to the tapping. He jumped on the windowsill  
and tapped back in time with "Surrender now, or prepare to fight."  
  
"That's the signal," Jessie said, hidden in the bushes outside the  
window. "James should be out shortly to take care of the guards."  
  
"Do you think he can handle something like that?" Misty asked  
snidely.  
  
Jessie turned to glare at Misty, fire in her eyes. "Don't you ever  
put James down!" she whispered fiercely. "I'm the only one who can do  
that."  
  
Misty sweatdropped and backed away slightly. Just then, the front  
door opened and James stepped out. "Look lively you two," he said. "The   
Boss told me to come relieve you from your post."  
  
"But we're not supposed to be relieved for another two hours," one  
guard protested.   
  
"Let's go," his partner said. "I'm sure James is just trying to get  
as much out of his five minute head start as he can, if he needs it," she  
added, pointing at the bag James had over his shoulder.  
  
"Fine with me. But if anything happens...."  
  
"It'll be on my head," James said. As soon as the other two   
disappeared inside, he beckoned to the bushes. "You OK Jessie?" he   
asked, untying her wrists as she came up with Ash and company.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "They took pretty good care of me and  
our pokémon. But let's finish our part of the deal."  
  
James nodded and set down the bag. "These will help you get down to  
where Pikachu's being held in the basement," he said, tossing each of them  
a black Team Rocket uniform. "The fit might be a little off, but I'm sure  
you can manage for as long as it takes to get Pikachu back."  
  
"This'll be fine," Ash said, ducking behind a tree to change into the  
uniform. "How do I look?"  
  
"Ick! That's one uniform I never want to see you in after this,"   
Misty said, having changed herself. "But it'll have to do."  
  
"Here's your pokémon back," Brock said, handing over the bag with the  
pokéballs.  
  
"Get going," Jessie said. "The longer you take, the more chance you  
have of being caught."  
  
Ash nodded, and then hugged Jessie on impulse. "Thank you," he   
whispered.  
  
Jessie blushed a little, not used to being hugged. "Don't thank us  
until you have Pikachu back," she said, hugging Ash back awkwardly.  
  
Ash stepped back and nodded, his face full of determination. "Let's   
go," he said, turning and walking into the building. Brock and Misty  
followed, but not before Misty glared at Jessie over her shoulder. Jessie  
could almost swear Misty's eyes were a deeper shade of green than they  
normally were, and she smiled.  
  
"What's up?" James asked, noticing the smile.  
  
"Nothing," she said, shrugging. "I just don't know if I'll be able to  
try and steal from them with the same effort we had before."  
  
"I know what you mean," James said. "But we'll just have to wait and  
see."  
  
Ash, Brock, and Misty walked confidently through Rocket headquarters,   
looking for an elevator or a staircase to take them downstairs. "This place  
didn't look as big on the outside," Misty commented.   
  
"I don't care how big it is, I just want to find Pikachu," Ash snarled.  
  
"Hey, you kids looking for something?" Ash turned around, pokéball in   
hand and ready to fight. "Hey, take it easy," the Rocket said, holding his  
hands up. "Just wondering if you needed help. You three are the youngest  
recruits we've had here in a long time."  
  
"Yeah well, don't sneak up on people like that," Ash said, putting the   
pokéball back on his belt. "There just might be a very good reason we joined  
so young."  
  
"Ash!" Misty whispered fiercely. "Do you want to get us in trouble?"  
  
Meanwhile the Rocket was laughing. "I like you, kid. You've got a lot  
of spunk, something most of these new Rockets are missing. So where are you  
headed?"  
  
"I can find my way," Ash said, turning his back on the man.  
  
"Well, I'm not too proud to ask for help," Brock said. "I'm being  
trained as a lab tech."  
  
"Then you want the green elevator down at the end of the third  
hallway. Can't miss it; it's the only one with a down button. I'll be  
seeing you around.... I didn't catch your names."  
  
"That's right, you didn't," Ash said, walking off with the others in  
tow.  
  
"That's it, he's officially lost his mind," Misty whispered to Brock.  
  
"I don't think so," Brock whispered back as they reached the elevator.  
"Team Rocket is supposed to be a criminal organization, so it makes sense   
that anyone they try to recruit has a bit of an attitude to them. For once,  
Ash must have actually thought about this."  
  
"Of course I have," Ash said, punching the down button. "I know you   
think I'm just some joke of a trainer who can't train his pokémon if his   
life depended on it, but Pikachu's one of my best friends, and I'd do   
anything for her."  
  
"Ash--" Misty began.  
  
"We'll talk about it later," Ash cut her off as the elevator doors  
opened.  
  
The ride down to the basement was quiet, at least on the outside.   
Misty's thoughts were running all over the place as she stared at the back  
of Ash's head. "Does he really believe that's how I think?" she thought  
guiltily. "I mean, I know there are times I could be a little nicer to   
him, but I can't believe he thinks I don't respect him. Great going,  
Misty. You probably just ruined any chance you had with the only boy you've  
ever let into your heart."  
  
The elevator stopped abruptly and the doors slid open. The scientist  
that was testing Pikachu looked up from his machine in surprise. "Hey, what  
are you three doing here?" he demanded. "This is a restricted area!"  
  
"We were just...." Ash began, then trailed off when he saw the cage.  
"Pikachu!" he yelled, running for the cage.  
  
"Pikapi...." Pikachu said weakly, as if most of the energy had been   
drained from her.  
  
"You're not Rockets!" the scientist screamed, hitting the alarm   
button. But instead of an alarm sounding, the console he was at short-  
circuited as an explosion rocked the building.  
  
"Did you feel something?" Jessie asked, looking over at James as they  
still stood guard at the door. James just smiled and didn't answer back.   
For some reason, Jessie had the uncanny impression James had been involved  
in whatever had caused that tremor, but she knew that was ludicrous.  
  
"I'm not finished with you yet," the scientist said, taking a pokéball  
from the pocket of his lab coat. "Golem, go!"  
  
"My water pokémon can handle this," Misty said, pulling a pokéball  
from her backpack. "Starmie, I choose--"  
  
"Psyduck!" Psyduck said, popping out his pokéball unexpectedly.  
  
"A psyduck?" the scientist sneered. "Golem, take that pitiful  
duck out with your Rock Throw."  
  
"Psyduck, use your Skull Bash," Misty directed. Under her breath,  
she muttered, "I hope this works."  
  
Psyduck lowered his head and ran straight at the golem, dodging the  
boulders in his way. He made contact flush with the golem's hard skin,  
almost caving in his own skull. Needless to say, Psyduck had a huge  
headache.... But that was exactly what Misty wanted.  
  
"All right Psyduck, Confusion attack, now!"  
  
"Golem?" the golem said, confused as his heavy body was lifted off  
the ground almost effortlessly by Psyduck's psychic powers and hurled into  
the scientist, pinning him against the wall.  
  
"Great job, Psyduck. Now return."  
  
"Psy-ai-ai," Psyduck moaned, holding his head. But as he returned,   
Misty could almost swear she saw a smile on his face.  
  
Ash tried to pry the top off the cage, but it was locked too securely.  
"Stand back Pikachu!" he yelled, pulling his fist back.  
  
"Ash, no!" Misty yelled, reaching out to stop him.  
  
Ash punched the cage, shattering one of the sides instantly. "Pikapi!"  
Pikachu yelled, running up Ash's arm and hugging him close.  
  
"Pikachu!" Ash yelled back, ruffling her ears. "Come on, we've gotta  
get out of here."  
  
"None of you are going anywhere!" A voice behind them commanded.  
  
Ash turned toward the voice which seemed to be coming from a dark  
corner of the lab. "Who do you think you are?" he demanded.  
  
A man stepped into view, but his face was still hidden by the   
shadows. "I know perfectly well who I am, boy. I am the leader of the  
great Team Rocket, and that's all you need to know."  
  
"Team Rocket's boss, huh? You don't frighten me."  
  
"You should be." The man just gestured with his hand and a wall slid   
open. "I want you to meet my special pokémon. With this pokémon, no one  
can ever stand against me. Mewtwo!"  
  
"Mewtwo?" Ash asked, looking at the open wall. As he watched, a  
very unusual pokémon stepped out. It was catlike in appearance, but stood  
upright on two well-muscled hind legs. A long, thick tail extended behind   
it, twitching back and forth patiently. It was encased in a silvery armor  
that hid its face, but that only made it seem more sinister. "You don't  
scare me," he said, twisting his hat around backwards.  
  
"You should be," Mewtwo said in a low voice, raising his hand much   
as his master had done. But this time, Ash lifted up into the air, crying  
out in surprise. With a simple flick of his wrist, Mewtwo sent Ash  
careening into a wall and nearly through it.  
  
"Chaa!" Pikachu screamed in pain, trying to cushion Ash's impact with  
her body.  
  
"No!" Ash picked Pikachu up and glared angrily at Team Rocket's boss.  
  
"You've got a lot of spirit kid, I'll give you that. Tell you what; if  
you can beat my Mewtwo, I'll let all of you go. If you can't, then I get all  
your pokémon."  
  
"And if I refuse?"  
  
"Do you really think you can make your way out of here once I alert the  
entire building?"  
  
"What choice do we have then? All right, one-on-one it is then."  
  
"Oh, feel free to use as many pokémon as you see fit, it won't matter in  
the end."  
  
Ash set Pikachu down tenderly as he fought to control his anger. The  
man's smug expression and superior tone of voice reminded him so much of Gary  
that it was hard to think straight. "Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pidgeotto, I  
choose you!" he said, throwing out three pokéballs. "Bulbasaur! Razor   
Leaf!"  
  
"Bulbasaur!"  
  
Giovanni smirked, his face still hidden in the shadows. "Mewtwo,   
Reflect," he said calmly.  
  
"As you wish," Mewtwo said in that same low voice. The leaves   
stopped just inches from him, then reversed their direction and went flying   
back at Bulbasaur.  
  
Ash recalled Bulbasaur before he could get harmed by his own attack.  
"Squirtle! Water Gun now!"  
  
"Continue to reflect it," Giovanni ordered.  
  
"Use your Wing Attack Pidgeotto! Hit him from behind!"  
  
"Pathetic fool," Mewtwo said emotionlessly, causing both attacks to  
reflect onto the pokémon who used them.  
  
"No..." Ash whispered, recalling both Squirtle and Pidgeotto. "No  
matter who I use, Mewtwo will just make their attacks turn on them.   
Unless.... Charizard, I choose you!"  
  
"What is he thinking?" Misty asked Brock, complete disbelief   
written all over her face.  
  
"We're doomed," Brock said, slumping against the wall.  
  
"Charizard, Flamethrower!" Ash commanded, knowing full well that  
Charizard hated that tone of voice.  
  
Charizard did a Flamethrower all right, but aimed it straight for  
Ash. Mewtwo, however, reacted immediately to the attack by Reflecting it.  
As such, not only did the attack turn away from Ash, but it hit Mewtwo   
square in his chest.   
  
"This is not possible!" Giovanni said, watching as Mewtwo struggled  
to stay on his feet.   
  
Meanwhile, Pikachu herself was struggling to her feet, calling on  
every last reserve of strength she had. "Pikachu!" she yelled, hitting  
Mewtwo with her Thunder attack. No sooner had the energy left her than she  
collapsed.  
  
Mewtwo fell backward as sparks flew from his cyber-armor, roaring in   
pain. Before he even hit the floor, alarms went off inside the lab. The  
scientist finally managed to roll his golem away from him and ran to the  
nearest computer. "His cyber-armor is malfunctioning," he nearly screamed.  
"If we don't get the spare set on him before he recovers...."  
  
"I know what will happen," Giovanni snapped. "Just make sure it gets  
done." He turned back to Ash and saw them pressing the elevator button.   
"Just where do you think you're going?" he asked, pointing a gun at them.   
He glanced around, looking for the boy's Charizard, but it was nowhere to  
be seen. "He must have recalled him when I was distracted," he muttered.  
  
"You said we could go if we won," Ash protested.  
  
"I never said you'd leave alive. I might let you live for a little  
while so my scientists can have humans to experiment on, but then again, I  
might just kill you here."  
  
"Toge?" Togepi trilled, sticking its head out of Misty's backpack.  
  
"What's that?" Giovanni asked, levelling the gun at the center of   
Misty's chest.  
  
"If you think I'm going to tell you anything, you're crazy," Misty said,  
her anger rising. "Why don't you just kill us and get it over with."  
  
"As you wish, my dear," Giovanni said calmly. Without another word, he  
pulled the trigger.  
  
Before he even knew what he was doing, Ash dived at Misty, shoving her  
out of the way and twisting in midair to protect Pikachu with his body. He  
closed his eyes, waiting for the impact that would take his life.  
  
"No!" Misty tried to scream, but the breath was knocked from her body  
as she hit the....  
  
....Grass? Misty skidded along the grassy ground for a few minutes,   
then rolled to a stop. "Ash!" She scrambled over to him, pillowing his  
head in her lap. "Oh Ash, you better not leave me."  
  
"Misty?" Ash said quietly. "What happened.... Where are we?"  
  
"Huh?" Misty asked, looking around. "How'd we get back at the  
campsite?"  
  
"Search me," Brock said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it was   
just in time, look." He pointed at the bullet hole in Ash's jacket, but  
it was clear that the bullet never penetrated the skin.  
  
"Help me stand up," Ash said, struggling to his feet with Misty's  
help, Pikachu still cradled in one of his arms. "We have to get Pikachu to   
a Pokémon Center. There's no telling what they did to her."  
  
Brock nodded and looked at the map quickly. "This way," he said,   
taking off at a run with Ash and Misty not far behind. As they ran, no one  
noticed a telltale blue glow fading from Misty's backpack as Togepi pulled its  
head back inside and settled down for a nap.  
  
Giovanni stood in his lab, staring at the bullet lodged in the   
elevator doors. "Teleport," he muttered, slowly lowering the arm that  
held the gun. "They're more clever than even I gave them credit for."  
  
"Sir," the scientist said, wiping his brow. "I have Mewtwo sedated.  
He won't wake up for a day or so; plenty of time to get the spare cyber-  
armor on him."  
  
"Well done," Giovanni said distractedly. "Tell me, were you able to  
determine just how strong the pikachu was?"  
  
"I only completed half my tests," the scientist explained. "But even  
with that I can tell you that the pikachu is the most powerful of its kind,  
perhaps the most powerful pikachu this world has ever seen."  
  
"I must have it," Giovanni swore.  
  
"Will you be sending the Red Squad?"  
  
Giovanni thought a moment, then shook his head. "No, they would   
kill the pikachu instead of capturing it. No, I think I will make   
capturing that pikachu the sole responsibility of Jessie and James. As  
much as I hate to admit it, they know these kids better than anyone."  
  
"And if they fail?"  
  
"Not to worry," Giovanni smirked, pulling a small pin out of his   
pocket shaped like a green leaf. "I have the feeling I'll be seeing them  
again." 


End file.
